that one time (Poem 20160429)

i remember waking in my crib screaming
and holding a toy animal on my head

i remember being stung by a bee and my brother
putting a bandage on my finger
over the bee

i remember my sister launching me from her feet
and flying into the brickwork of the fireplace
striking just below my eye

i remember santa’s red suit one christmas eve
when i was supposed to be asleep but snuck out
of my room, catching him by the fireplace

i remember seeing the ghost of my grandmother’s
mother when i was supposed to be taking a nap
and my grandmother shushing me, though she saw her
pale faced in the doorway too

i remember collecting red ants barehanded
with my brother for an ant farm
and being stung again and again

i remember waking up to a bed shaking
beneath me and the guttural sounds of voices
in a room that was too dark to see clearly
but not too dark to see

i remember my mom’s small dog speaking to me
in plain english though i do not remember
what he said

——

National Poetry Month
NaPoWriMo Day 29
Memory